The methods for rapid cooling and solidification of amorphous ribbon include the single roll method, the twin roll method, etc. The most general method is the single roll method. This single roll method ejects molten metal to the surface of a high speed rotating cooling roll and rapidly cools and solidifies it on this cooling roll so as to continuously obtain an amorphous ribbon. When producing amorphous ribbon on an industrial scale, usually it is necessary to secure this rapidly cooled and solidified amorphous ribbon by winding it up. Up to now, various methods and systems have been proposed for the take-up method for taking up amorphous ribbon on line right after casting, but in general the method and system of using a take-up roll and taking up the ribbon by rotation of the take-up roll have been employed. For example, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 8-318352 proposes a take-up method taking up an amorphous ribbon having a magnetic property using a take-up roll magnetized on its surface and making a range of surface speed of the take-up roll at the time of catching the amorphous ribbon tip 90% to less than 100% of the surface speed of the cooling roll. However, using just a single take-up roll to take up the ribbon means there is a limit to the take-up weight due to the equipment and, further, makes it necessary to balance the casting speed, take-up speed, tension, and other take-up conditions, so usually a plurality of take-up rolls are used for taking up a ribbon.
As a take-up device using a plurality of take-up rolls, there is the carousel type of take-up device comprised of two or more take-up rolls magnetized on their surfaces.
When continuously taking up a cast ribbon by a plurality of take-up rolls, the take-up rolls have to be switched, but it has been considered difficult to instantaneously switch a take-up roll magnetized on its surface to another take-up roll to stably take up an amorphous ribbon. Therefore, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 11-28552 proposed to make the next high speed rotating take-up roll enter the pass line of the ribbon being taken up from below so as to make the take-up roll contact the ribbon, cut the ribbon at a limited position between the two take-up rolls, and then take up the ribbon at the next take-up roll. This proposal is a method of switching making a relationship between a distance L1 between the cutting position and the next take-up roll and the distance L2 between the next take-up roll and the cooling roll L1≧L2/20 and further making the difference between the ribbon speed and the take-up roll speed within ±2 m/sec.
However, in the method disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 11-28552, the tip of the amorphous ribbon after being cut is caught by the next take-up roll, but sometimes the amorphous ribbon breaks right after being switched and other instances still arise where take-up cannot be continued. It was not possible to reliably switch the take-up rolls.